Can Health-Promoting Schools Contribute to Better Health Behaviors? Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Dietary Habits among Israeli Adolescents

Hila Beck, Riki Tesler, Sharon Barak, Daniel Sender Moran, Adilson Marques and Yossi Harel Fisch
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Hila Beck: Department of Health System Management, Faculty of Health Science, Ariel University, Ariel 407000, Israel
Riki Tesler: Department of Health System Management, Faculty of Health Science, Ariel University, Ariel 407000, Israel
Sharon Barak: Program in Gerontology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheeva 8499000, Israel
Daniel Sender Moran: Department of Health System Management, Faculty of Health Science, Ariel University, Ariel 407000, Israel
Adilson Marques: Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada da Costa, 1499-002 Cruz Quebrada-Dafundo, Portugal
Yossi Harel Fisch: School of Education, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: Schools with health-promoting school (HPS) frameworks are actively committed to enhancing healthy lifestyles. This study explored the contribution of school participation in HPS on students’ health behaviors, namely, physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and dieting. Data from the 2018/2019 Health Behavior in School-aged Children study on Israeli adolescents aged 11–17 years were used. Schools were selected from a sample of HPSs and non-HPSs. Between-group differences and predictions of health behavior were analyzed. No between-group differences were observed in mean number of days/week with at least 60 min of PA (HPS: 3.84 ± 2.19 days/week, 95% confidence interval of the mean = 3.02–3.34; non-HPS: 3.93 ± 2.17 days/week, 95% confidence interval of the mean = 3.13–3.38). Most children engaged in screen time behavior for >2 h/day (HPS: 60.83%; non-HPS: 63.91%). The odds of being on a diet were higher among more active children (odds ratio [OR] = 1.20), higher socio-economic status (OR = 1.23), and female (OR = 2.29). HPS did not predict any health behavior. These findings suggest that HPSs did not contribute to health behaviors more than non-HPSs. Therefore, health-promoting activities in HPSs need to be improved in order to justify their recognition as members of the HPS network and to fulfill their mission.

Keywords: health-promoting schools; physical activity; dieting behavior; sedentary behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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